WASHINGTON. D.C. — Democratic leaders in the House announced two articles of impeachment Tuesday morning, charging President Donald Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. “It is an impeachable offense for the president to exercise powers of his public office to obtain an improper personal benefit while ignoring or injuring the national interest,”...
Environmental activists urge VTA to shift funds from highway projects to mass transit
Dozens of young environmental activists implored the Valley Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors to declare a climate crisis during its last meeting of the year this week. The group — including many local high school students — asked the board to commit to a zero carbon emission bus fleet, forswear future cuts to bus service...
San Jose Water Company shut off wells contaminated with PFAS chemicals
WASHINGTON. D.C. — As a famous actor took center stage during a Capitol Hill hearing last month to demand stricter regulations of ‘forever chemicals’ in water, a longtime San Jose water company revealed that it has tested positive for those contaminants. The news comes as California water officials this year began a statewide assessment of any...
House passes San Jose Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s election interference bill
Just two weeks after she introduced it, San Jose Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s election interference bill passed in the House on Wednesday, the same day lawmakers continued an ongoing discussion about Facebook’s role in elections. A bill introduced by Lofgren, H.R. 4617, would require campaigns to report offers of illicit campaign assistance from foreign entities, create...
Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna says House will vote on impeachment
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna says he’s going to be on the road over the next 100 days as campaign co-chair for Senator and 2020 presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders. But before he packs his bags for the campaign trail, San José Spotlight caught up with Khanna last Friday inside his Washington office for a...
Silicon Valley congressmembers return from recess tackling big issues
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Silicon Valley’s congressional leaders returned to Capitol Hill this week after a two-week recess and the local delegation jumped into a number of critical issues, including a push to bolster election security, lower prescription drug prices, reduce access to e-cigarettes and continue waging the war on President Donald Trump. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren a...
National and state leaders endorse San Jose’s fair elections initiative
State and national lawmakers from Silicon Valley gathered in front of San Jose City Hall on Friday to announce their support for an initiative top labor leaders in the South Bay say will put a cap on money in politics and increase voter turnout by shifting mayoral elections to presidential years. The measure, called the...
Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna for vice president? Not so fast.
In recent weeks, speculation is swirling that Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna is eyeing a potential vice presidential nomination, exciting some of his constituents as he would be the first Indian-American to hold that office. The rumors swelled after the freshman congressman was spotted spending lots of time in Iowa. An article from the Carroll Times Herald suggested Khanna...
San Jose mayor proposes mandatory gun liability insurance
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo unveiled a gun safety proposal Monday that he knows won’t “suddenly end gun violence” — but will ensure the nation’s 10th largest city will stop paying for it. Liccardo is suggesting San Jose require gun owners in the city to carry mandatory liability insurance for weapons or pay an in-lieu...
Silicon Valley Republicans react to Mike Honda’s new gig
Top Silicon Valley GOP leaders didn’t hold back criticism of a former Bay Area Democrat’s attempts to keep control of the House — after losing his seat three years ago. Former U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, who lost his seat to Democrat Ro Khanna in 2016, earlier this year launched a new political action committee, the Hold the House...